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Excel 1 Module 1 – Excel Basics

Excel 1 – Module 1

Excel 1 – Module 1 Page 1 of 20 People’s Resource Center

Course Overview Using step-by-step instructions, this seven-session course introduces the basic features of Microsoft Excel, the fully featured spreadsheet program included in Microsoft Office. The first few lessons deal with navigating around the worksheet, entering and editing data, and formatting for visual appeal. Upon completion of the course you should feel comfortable using simple spreadsheets designed and created by others.

List of Modules

1. Basics 2. Editing Worksheets 3. Format Cells 4. Formulas and Functions 5. Charts & Autofill 6. Data Lists 7. Putting it all Together

Contents

Course Overview ......................................................................................................................................................1

List of Modules .......................................................................................................................................................1

1. Excel Basics .....................................................................................................................................................2

1.1. Parts of Excel ............................................................................................................................................2

1.2. Types of Spreadsheets .............................................................................................................................3

1.3. Moving around Excel .................................................................................................................................4

1.4. Data Types ................................................................................................................................................5

2. Creating & Saving Workbooks .................................................................................................................... 11

2.1. Saving .................................................................................................................................................... 11

2.2. Creating .................................................................................................................................................. 12

2.3. Exiting ..................................................................................................................................................... 13

2.4. Opening .................................................................................................................................................. 13

3. Mouse & Keyboard ....................................................................................................................................... 14

3.1. Excel Cursors ......................................................................................................................................... 14

3.2. Special Keys ........................................................................................................................................... 16

4. Selection & Basic Formatting ...................................................................................................................... 17

5. Exercises – Now You! ................................................................................................................................... 20



1. Excel Basics

In this module we will be looking at the components of Microsoft Excel and how to get around within the Excel 2010 working environment.

Module Objectives:

Determine when to use a spreadsheet.

Open, modify, create and save Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

Enter data, select cells and modify the look of information within Excel.

Follow Me

Open Microsoft Office Excel 2010 There is more than one way to open Excel, in this example we will use the start menu to search for it.

1. Click the start button 2. Type Excel 3. Click Microsoft Office Excel

1.1. Parts of Excel

The Microsoft Excel worksheet window consists of many parts. Below is a picture of the worksheet window and all of its component parts. The more commonly used areas are highlighted.



File Button – Which contains menus as well as Excel options

Quick Access Tool Bar – Hold common shortcuts, can be customized

Ribbon – contains all the spreadsheet commands

Formula Bar – where changes are made to cell contents

Name Box – Shows the cell reference

Column & Row Headings – the way to select/resize entire rows or entire columns. Rows are numbered (1,2,3, …) and Columns are letters (A, B, C, …)

Worksheet – current page of spreadsheet

Help – Microsoft help, available on and offline

Status Bar – provides information on the current spreadsheet

Zoom Control – changes the size of the spreadsheet on the screen

Tabs – help organize items in the ribbon (Home, Insert, Page Layout, etc.)

Groups – help organize items within a tab (Clipboard, Font, Alignment)

Dialog Box Launcher – Opens new windows with additional options found in the bottom right corner of some groups.

1.2. Types of Spreadsheets

A spreadsheet is a collection of rows and columns. The columns are lettered A, B, C, etc., ending with XFD. The rows are numbered 1 through 1,048,576.

Spreadsheet

Noun

An electronic document in which data in arranged in the rows and columns of a grid and can be manipulated and used in calculations.

Also called Worksheet in Excel.



Lists - Like a columnar pad, you can create phone lists, address lists, grocery lists and the lists could go on. Typically these lists would not include any formulas. Some people find creating lists or tables in a worksheet to be easier than creating the same lists in a word processing program.

Spreadsheets – The real power of a spreadsheet is its ability to include formulas which automatically adjust as new numbers are entered. A formula can be as simple as 2 + 2 or as complex as calculating the internal rate of return on an investment. In later lessons you will explore formulas and functions and how to use them.

1.3. Moving around Excel

There are two general ways to move around in Excel. The first is with the mouse, let’s try an example.

Follow Me

Enter data into a cell.

1. Move the mouse pointer over cell A2. 2. Click to select. (A thicker black border will appear around

the selected cell)

3. Type Monthly Budget 4. Hit Enter button, this enters or finalizes the text entered.

The second way is to use the keyboard to move. Below is a list of keys that can be used to move around Excel. Reminder, when you see two keys mentioned the first needs to be held while the second key is pressed. (Example: Shift + Tab, this means hold shift key while pressing the Tab key)

Keys Excel Action

Arrows Selects the cell above, below, left, or right of the currently selected cell.

The arrows can be below or to the right of the enter key and in the number pad of some keyboards.

Tab Selects cell to the right of the currently selected cell.

Enter Selects cell below the current cell.

Shift + Tab Selects cell to the left of the current cell.



Shift + Enter Select the cell above the current cell.

Hold the shift key then tap the Enter or Tab key.

Remember if you are editing in a cell you must first hit enter to confirm the edit then hit enter again to move.

Let’s use the keyboard to enter in more data into the example.

Follow Me

Enter more data.

1. Using the arrow keys, select B2. 2. Type Expected 3. Instead of hitting the Enter button, use the Tab

button to confirm the text and move to the right.

4. Type Actual 5. Hit Enter button to confirm the text entered.

In the example, you may notice that Monthly Budget can no longer be seen. This is okay, the text or information is still in the cell. Later we will show you how to change the column width to see all the information.

1.4. Data Types

The intersection of a row and column is called a cell. Every cell in the worksheet has an address created by combining the column letter with the row number.

Cell

Noun

A cell is a specific location within a spreadsheet and is defined by the intersection of a row and column.

A box formed by the intersection of a row and column in a worksheet or a table, in which you enter information.

A cell in a worksheet can contain different types of data: text, numbers, functions, and formulas. Excel behaves differently depending on what type of data is entered, this can be changed.



1.4.1. Text

In the Follow Me section above the data entered into the cell was text. We will go through a few more examples to practice.

Follow Me

Enter more text.

1. Select A3 2. Type Rent 3. Hit Enter button 4. Select A4 5. Type Grocery 6. Hit Enter button 7. Enter Phone into A5.

1.4.2. Numbers

So far all the data entered into the worksheet has been text. Let’s start with some basic numbers.

Excel will often format numbers for us. We know that the numbers we entered in B3, B4, and B5 are dollar amounts. This means there should be two decimal places shown or two numbers after the period (Example 300.00 or 50.00). If you try and enter 300.00 into B3 it will be changed back to 300. This is because of formatting. We will go over the specifics of how to change this a little later.

Sometimes you will need to make Excel treat a number as text. While this is much less common than working with decimals, it is still important. Let’s enter a quick example.

Follow Me

Enter Numbers.

1. Select B3 2. Type a number such as 300 3. Hit Enter button 4. Enter a number, such as 50 into B4. 5. Enter a number, such as 30 into B5.

Follow Me

Try adding 300.00

1. Select B3 2. Type 300.00 3. Hit Enter button

B3 should change back to show 300.



In row 9 we will add the Trenton Free Public Library address:

Trenton Free Public Library 120 Academy St.

Trenton, NJ 08608

Notice in our example the zip code is right justified, or aligned to the right in the cell, while the other text is to the left. This is an easy way to see if the data entered is being treated as a number or text by default.

Zip codes and Social Security Numbers can sometimes begin with zero. In both of these cases it is important to include those preceding zeros. If the data will not be used in a formula or calculation, as in this case, the fastest way is to tell Excel to treat the data as text.

To enter a number as text simply precede the number with a single quote or apostrophe.

Follow Me

Add addresses to the current document.

1. Select A8 2. Type Street 3. Use the Tab key to quick move across

the sheet. 4. Enter City, State, and Zip as shown.

Follow Me

Add addresses to the current document cont.

5. Select A9 6. Type 120 Academy St. 7. Use the Tab key to move to B9 8. Type Trenton 9. Hit Tab. 10. Type NJ, and hit Tab. 11. In D9, type 08608 12. Hit Tab or Enter to confirm.

Follow Me

Add addresses to the current document.

1. Select D9 2. Type ‘08608 3. Use the Tab or Enter

key to confirm. 4. Use the mouse to select

D9. When the ! appears more information is shown when hovering over the symbol.



1.4.3. Formulas

Formulas will always begin with the equals sign, =, and can be a simple or complex equation. Let’s return to our budget example.

Follow Me

Enter a Formula to total the budget.

1. Enter Total into cell A6. 2. Select B6. 3. Type the following formula =300+50+30 4. Hit Enter button

You should see the answer, 380, displayed in the cell. Excel will show the answer in the cell. To see the information actually entered in a cell select that cell and review the information in the formula bar.

Follow Me

Check the Formula Bar

1. Select B6. 2. Review the Formula Bar

Notice how the formula bar still shows the formula entered, =300+50+30. This is the actual data entered, in the worksheet below the answer is displayed.

1.4.4. Functions

Functions also begin with the equals sign. Rather than entering numbers these use built in formulas by using short words and entering in parameters separated by comas. In our example we will use SUM this function allows for all given numbers to be added together.

Follow Me

Enter a Function

In this example we will use the SUM function which will add numbers.

1. Select B6. 2. Type =SUM(300,50,30) 3. Hit Enter to confirm, notice as

you type Excel will offer suggestions and help.



Each function will need certain things for each parameter, for example SUM needs numbers. If anything other than a number is entered an error will occur.

Cell Reference

Noun

Is the intersection of a row and column, used to describe the location of a cell within a spreadsheet.

A cell reference can be entered into a function or formula rather than typing each number. When a cell reference is used in a function or formula, Excel will color code the cell and cell reference.

Follow Me

Enter a Cell Reference into B6

1. Select B6 2. Type =SUM(B3,B4,B5) 3. Hit Enter to confirm, you should still see 380

displayed in B6.

The benefit of using a cell reference is that functions and formulas will not need to change when your data does.

Follow Me

Update Data

1. Select B3 2. Type 400 3. Hit Enter to confirm.

Both B3 and B6 will update once you hit enter. The new total, 480, appears in B6. Throughout the rest of the course, we will continue to work with functions and formulas.



Special Note: An Excel worksheet is a single spreadsheet that contains cells organized by rows and columns. A worksheet begins with row number one and column A. Each cell can contain a number, text or formula. A cell can also reference another cell in the same worksheet, the same workbook or a different workbook.

Worksheet

Noun

An Excel worksheet is a single spreadsheet that contains cells organized by rows and columns.

Remember a spreadsheet is a term to describe a type of electronic document organized in rows and columns.

Workbook

Noun

An Excel workbook is an excel file made up of one or more worksheets.



2. Creating & Saving Workbooks

If you start Microsoft Excel by selecting it from among the programs offered in the Start Menu, as we did earlier in this lesson, then Excel will create a blank workbook named Book 1.

2.1. Saving

Saving your work as you go is important, there are some data recovery features for Microsoft Office but these often do not save frequently enough. Let’s begin by saving the Budget worksheet from before.

Follow Me

Save current Workbook

1. Open the File Menu 2. Click Save

The first time you save and any time you select Save As the following screen will appear. This will ask you for two very important pieces of information:

Where do you want to save it?

What do you want to call it?

3. Navigate to the Desktop. This is done by selecting Desktop from the left side, you may need to scroll to find it. If you have selected it correctly it will appear at the top in the address bar.

4. Select the File name and change it from Book1 to MonthlyBudget.

5. Click Save

The ‘Save as type:’ should be Excel Workbook as shown, the other options are used when sending spreadsheets to others who use a different program, either a free version or older version.

To save any new updates to this existing document, you can now just select save from the file menu. If you wanted to save a new version with a different name or in a different location select Save As from the file menu.



2.2. Creating

There are two ways to create a new worksheet in Excel. The first is to open Excel as we did before. The second way can be done while already in Excel.

Follow Me

Create new Workbook from Template

1. Open the File menu and click New from the left side.

In this screen the middle section will show available templates. On the Right is a preview showing the currently selected template. Below the preview is the create button.

2. Click on Calendars 3. More options will appear, choose one you like. It should appear in the

preview pane. 4. The create button may be been replaced by download. Click Download or

Create.

Templates are pre-formatted workbooks, some serving very specific purposes such a invoicing or a calendar as in our example.



2.3. Exiting

When exiting out of an Excel workbook you may want to save your changes or you may not. We will go through both examples.

Follow Me

Exit without Saving - Template

1. Ensure you have the template you selected still open. 2. Click the X in the very top right corner.

Because you have not saved the template, you will be asked if you want to save the changes before Execl will exit.

Save – this will walk you through the process of saving the document.

Don’t Save – your changes will not be saved.

Cancel – this will stop you from exiting Excel and will not save.

3. Click Don’t Save

We have not made any changes to our Monthly Budget worksheet so exiting should not ask us to save.

Follow Me

Exit with Saving – Monthly Budget

1. The Monthly Budget worksheet should still be open. 2. Click the X in the very top right corner to exit. 3. If you are asked to save, click Save

2.4. Opening

There are again two ways to open an existing worksheet in Excel. In either case you will need to know where the worksheet is saved and what it is named. We will use both methods during this course.

Follow Me

Open Monthly Budget

1. All programs should be closed, you should see the desktop. If not minimize or close all programs.

2. Double click Monthly Budget from the desktop.



Alternatively, you can open Excel from the start menu. Then use the Open button from the File menu. This will bring up a window similar to Save As that you can use to navigate to the file. Remember, you will need to look under Desktop in this window to find the MonthlyBudget file.

3. Mouse & Keyboard

The mouse pointer in the spreadsheet program takes on many different shapes depending on where the mouse pointer is within Excel. These shapes are visual clues as to what you can do at the specific position on your display screen.

3.1. Excel Cursors

Cursor Name Description In Action

Cross Pointer Used for selecting cells.

A single click will select. To select a range, click and drag.

Arrow Pointer Used to select items outside of worksheet, such as in the Ribbon.



Resizing Arrows

Used to change column widths.

Move your cursor between columns to use.

Double clicking will auto-fit.

Click and drag will allow you to resize manually.

Resizing Arrows

Used to change row heights

Move your cursor between rows to use.

Double clicking will auto-fit.

Click and drag will allow you to resize manually.

Row Selector Used to select entire rows.

Move your cursor onto a row number to use.

Single click will select entire row.

Click and drag will select multiple rows.

Column Selector

Used to select entire columns

Move your cursor onto a column letter to use.

Single click will select entire column.

Click and drag will select multiple columns.

Cursor Used to edit cell contents in Formula Bar or the cell itself.

Sometimes referred to as I Beam

Fill Handle

“Auto Fill”

Used to copy cell contents to adjacent cells.

To use, hover your mouse over the bottom right corner of the selected cell or cells.

Click and drag to fill or copy contents into new cells.



Move Used to move selected items such as cells.

To use, hover over the dark border of the selected cell or cells. Click and drag to move the item.

3.2. Special Keys

In addition to the Enter, Tab, Shift, and arrow keys mentioned previously the following are also special keys used in Excel.

Key Function

Enter In addition to move to the next cell, enter is used to confirm the new contents of a cell.

Esc Escape, this key can be used to cancel out of editing a cell.

Page Up Moves up one screen

Page Down Moves down one screen

F7 Spell Check

F1 Help

Delete Clears contents of entire cell or group of cells

Ctrl + A Selects all cells in the worksheet

Shift In addition to the notes in previous section, Shift can be used to expand a selection by holding shift and clicking. Shift can also be used in combination with arrows keys to make a selection.

Ctrl Control can be held while clicking to select unconnected cells or ranges of cells.

Alt Alt can be pressed or toggled on and off to allow keyboard selection of menu items.



4. Selection & Basic Formatting

Generally many of the same formatting settings are available in Excel as in the other Microsoft Office Suite of products. The most common items appear as buttons on the Ribbon. Those that do not can typically be found through the Dialog Box Launcher. Also the same as other Microsoft products, in order to change an item it must first be selected.

Follow Me

Update Titles of Monthly Budget

1. Select A2 through C2 2. Click on the Bold Button (Found in the Home

Tab, Font group)

This button, along with the italics and underline buttons, is a toggle. If a keyboard shortcut is available, it will appear while hovering over the button. Hovering over buttons will often provide details about the action.

Any changes that would be made to the font, or the appearance of the data in a given cell, can be found in the Font group. Again, not all the buttons may appear so there is also a Font Dialog Box Launcher available.

Now that we have adjusted the look of our titles, it’s time to resize the columns so that all the text can be seen.



Follow Me

Widen Columns to show full title

1. Move your cursor to hover between column A and B, this is done by moving your cursor into the Column Header.

2. Once you see the resizing arrow (see cursors above for pictures), double click.

This will auto fit the column width to the contents of the cells. You can manually change this by clicking and dragging with the resizing arrow instead.

In addition to changing the style of the text, you can change the way the text is arranged within the cell. These options are incorporated into the Alignment group, also on the Home tab.

There are more options available within the dialog box. Of particular interest is the Merge & Center option. This allows multiple cells to be combined into a single cell.

Follow Me

Create Title for Monthly Budget

1. Select A1 through C1 2. Click the Merge & Center button (Alignment group on Home tab).

3. In the new cell, type Monthly Budget 4. We can also change A2 to Expenses



To remove text or data that is no longer needed, you can select the cells and use the delete key. This will remove the contents of the cell or cells.

Follow Me

Delete Data

1. Select A8 through D9 2. Press the Delete key on your

keyboard.

Now that our Monthly Budget has been cleaned up, we’ll go through the process of saving an existing file and exiting.

Follow Me

Save and Close Monthly Budget

1. Select Save from the File menu. 2. Close Excel.

You can exit out of Excel from the File menu by selecting Exit. Another method is to click the X (Close) button in the top right corner of Excel.



5. Exercises – Now You!

The following exercise will ask you to create a new worksheet, enter data, format the worksheet, and save. In addition to referring back to this module or asking your instructor, there is help available within Excel. To access help within Excel you can use the shortcut key, F1, or click on the blue question mark in the top right corner or Excel.

1. Open Excel 2. Enter in and format your document to look like the image below.

3. Save your worksheet to the desktop, name it Addresses 4. Close Excel

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